wildlife

[GordonT]

I was going through photos today and found this from earlier this summer: Actias luna, the Luna moth. I found this hanging around a big box store in town. Later I found the remains of one on the ground below our Gingko tree. They are one of the largest moths in Canada. The adults don't feed on anything- they exist to reproduce.... and to beautify the landscape in my opinion! It seems that the caterpillars will feed on any number of trees (Birch, Persimmon, Sweet Gum, Sumac, Walnuts and Hickories, to name a few). It seems the photo decided to display in landscape format rather than in its original portrait format. Perhaps someone can give it a quick turn?

edit by maggi - pic turned.

 

[Anthony Darby]

I was going through photos today and found this from earlier this summer: Actias luna, the Luna moth. I found this hanging around a big box store in town. Later I found the remains of one on the ground below our Gingko tree. They are one of the largest moths in Canada. The adults don't feed on anything- they exist to reproduce.... and to beautify the landscape in my opinion! It seems that the caterpillars will feed on any number of trees (Birch, Persimmon, Sweet Gum, Sumac, Walnuts and Hickories, to name a few). It seems the photo decided to display in landscape format rather than in its original portrait format. Perhaps someone can give it a quick turn?

Love these moths, and bred them many times in the UK, feeding them on birch and walnut. One of the "Moths of the Limberlost", as described by Gene Stratton-Porter in the book of that name.

[fermi de Sousa]

The flowering eucalypt is attracting nectar feeders including the Musk Lorikeet (Glossopsitta concinna) which are colourful and noisy,
cheers
fermi

[brianw]

We are being invaded by ladybirds/bugs again. They get in through the window vents, where the screen is badly fitted, and collect between the frame and opening window, so when we open it they crunch up when we then close it.


Should I be trying to save these and try and provide different accommodation, maybe in my garage etc, or do I just blast them out into the cold? There are many 100's in total I suspect. Are they the invaders?

[annew]

I think those are the alien invaders - Harlequins.

[admin]

A Red Kite photographed last week.

[YT]

A Red Kite photographed last week.

Cool

[Michael J Campbell]

WOW! 

[YT]

I spot an interesting tweet about wildlife
https://twitter.com/marcellajkelly/status/792137494032777216

Student biologists at Virginia Tech captured a rare species on film—a very wild, very naked Homo sapiens
http://motherboard.vice.com/read/wildife-camera-trap-shoots-rare-footage-of-naked-human

[Maggi Young]

A Red Kite photographed last week.

Oh my  word! Fantastic!

[Steve Garvie]

Superb capture Fred!!!

[Cfred72]

We are being invaded by ladybirds/bugs again. They get in through the window vents, where the screen is badly fitted, and collect between the frame and opening window, so when we open it they crunch up when we then close it.
(Attachment Link)
(Attachment Link)
Should I be trying to save these and try and provide different accommodation, maybe in my garage etc, or do I just blast them out into the cold? There are many 100's in total I suspect. Are they the invaders?

Yes, it is indeed the Asian lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis.

[brianw]

I have spent much of today cleaning out the window mechanisms of them. They were at the top and bottom scissor mechanism friction "hinges". Very time consuming as they invariably tried to fly around. There were many pupa cases too built out of what looked at first glance like cement, containing pupa. The house is almost true too the compass and the windows on the south and west were the worst, with few in the other windows, spiders excepted of course. No doubt many will creep back and have to be evicted again.

[Anthony Darby]

There were many pupa cases too built out of what looked at first glance like cement, containing pupa.

Ladybirds pupate on vegetation, and their pupae are soft and stuck to a leaf or twig by the rear end. They certainly don't make cement cases. These must be the remains of potter wasp nests?

[brianw]

Hi Anthony
The "cases" are visible in this

The ones I broke contained white grubs, ~2mm diameter x 5mm long. Just sort of assumed they were from the other occupants.